Ageism in Recruitment

This is a subject I have been wanting to blog about for a while but have had to give it some serious thought before putting the proverbial pen to paper as it’s such a controversial subject.   The topic of ageism in recruitment.

It has been recognised for some time that there is discrimination against people of a certain age looking for a new opportunity.  Steps have been taken by the government to try to stop this discrimination, through illegalising things like asking a candidates age, putting a stop to requesting date of births on CVs, and preventing the use of words such as “young” on job adverts.  However these measures are by no means far reaching enough as people wishing to reject people on the basis of their age can still get a good idea of how old a candidate is by their career and education history.

I have encountered ageism throughout my career – the “I know I am not meant to say this, but..” kind of conversation.  I will admit that earlier in my career – before I had the knowledge and confidence in my ability that I do today – I just accepted this as part of my job and something I had to follow as it was my clients wishes.  These days however I am resolute about challenging this ageism, and not because it’s morally the right thing to do, but because the companies are fundamentally wrong and really missing out, here’s why…

• Age is just a number. As clichéd as this sounds it is true.  There is a perception in business that as people grow older they lose their passion and their drive.  However I have interviewed many people in the latter stages of their career who are just as passionate and energetic as many 20-odd year olds I have interviewed.  To be honest, I have interviewed many “younger” people who have as much drive as a wet sponge.  It shouldn’t be about how old you are, everyone is different and every candidate should be judged on his or her own merits.  Assumptions SHOULD NOT be made based on how old someone is.
• The benefit of experience. Again, something which is a fairly obvious statement to make but I feel I have to state the obvious as this fact seems to get overlooked time and time again.  With so many people raising the issue of talent shortage and the cost of having to train people to meet the skill criteria required, I do not understand why older candidates with all the experience and skill in the world are continually ignored.  Not only can businesses benefit from the knowledge that many older candidates can bring to the table, but this experience can then be used to help younger employees be trained up to continue that pipeline of knowledge, saving money on external training needs.
• 1 + 2 = a potent combination!! If an individual has a combination of drive, passion and experience, in my opinion this makes for a formidable candidate – someone who any business would be lucky to get on board.  I recently placed a 55 year old lady who had all of these qualities and she stands out in my mind as one of the best candidates I have seen for a long time.  With experience comes credibility and if you have the communication skills and passion to deliver that experience – then wow!  I know my client who employed her are over the moon with their new recruit and I know she will add a huge amount of value.
• 50 is the new 40!! The clichés are rolling today!!  Seriously though, it’s a well-known fact that we all live longer these days and people tend to be a lot younger at 50 than they were, say 40 years ago.  Combined with this is the fact that people are working longer – some through choice, some through necessity.  Finally the age of retirement has been pushed back.  This means that for many people reaching 50, they are still looking at a potential 15 years in work.  The stereotype that 50 – 55 year old candidates are “winding down” and looking to retirement no longer applies.  The argument that businesses don’t employ people over 50 years old because they will only lose them in 3 years or so to retirement is also redundant.

So how do we change the current state of play?

As I reiterate in most of my blogs, everyone in a recruitment process has a responsibility as to how this industry behaves.  We are all culpable.  Therefore there are ways in which each party can improve the way we treat the ageism issue.

Recruiters

There are a couple of ways that we can ensure that good, experienced candidates are not being over looked in the job market.  First of all it is ESSENTIAL that we challenge the perception of any company who display ageism.  I will always insist that clients see candidates who I have interviewed because if they reject on the basis of a CV, they have taken away any value I can add through seeing candidates first.  If I have interviewed a candidate who is ideal for a job and also happens to be older, I will still always put them forward.  9 times out of 10 the client understands my decision and the calibre of the candidate has outweighed whatever stereotype they may have had initially because of age.

This brings me on to the second way in which we can help – by interviewing our candidates in the first place.  Each and every candidate should be judged on their own merits, not from a perception or stereotype caused by modern society.  If a CV looks good, then the telephone screen goes well, then a face to face interview should be a given.  If you interview a candidate and they blow you away, it is SO much easier to overcome any objections from the client because you will be so much more convinced that you are right that the hiring business should meet the candidate in question.  This should be par for the course for candidates of any age but unfortunately it seems like JPS are becoming more and more of a rarity in being a recruiter who insists on interviewing candidates face to face before representing them to clients.

Hiring Business

Be open-minded.  Judge each candidate on their own merits, not their age.  A candidate’s age is not indicative of their quality.  If you are working with a recruitment company insist that they meet the candidates before submitting them so that you are confident that they are putting quality people in front of you regardless of their age.

Candidates

If you are a candidate who feels you are being overlooked because of your age, show your dynamism and drive by not taking no for an answer!  Make sure you do your research and align yourself one or two credible recruiters who take the time to meet you and allow you to demonstrate just how awesome you are!  DO NOT apply for every job going or send your CV to scores of recruitment businesses as this dilutes your proposition.  Keep firmly in your head how fantastic you are and work strategically with a recruiter to target businesses who will appreciate the value you can add.  Good luck!

This blog is one of a series designed to improve the way we enter into a recruitment process.  For more of my blogs please visit our website www.jps-supplychain.co.uk/blog